Elysium
by Ashardalon125
Summary: When people are rescued from timelines, sometimes the wounds they bear are deeper than the skin. Fortunately, there are people trained to help, and Anna is one such professional. However, her most recent case bears emotional scars deeper than any she's seen.


Elysium

Anna tapped her chin in thought as she went over the chart on her desk. There were a few familiar names that she was glad to see were keeping to the schedule, but it was the new name and designation that made her worry. _Morgan (M) - FP073_.

Future Past children were always the most difficult to deal with, but she'd never handled a Morgan from the timeline before. They all tended to...disappear. And from what she'd heard from some of the others in her field, no one else had seen one either. She'd have to review the exploratory team's notes before the meeting.

Pushing that eventuality aside, she looked at some of the others. She smiled as she saw her first meeting of the morning was with Cynthia. The girl had been getting steadily better since she'd been pulled out of the timeline they'd been in. Anna was sure that with a few more meetings and some check ups, she'd be ready to go live on her own.

While she would be sad to see her go, knowing she'd be alright out there would be its own reward. Besides which, she'd just gotten clearance from artifact recovery to return some of her possessions to her, including one very important one that was being kept in the secure storage just adjacent to her office. The small room was practically a small armoury in its design, wedged between her office and Libra's. Libra was technically in charge of security, but she was inventory. Armed with her abacus and logbooks, she could exactly track what they had in store or not. Helped when she knew some of the recovery teams personally; after all, one of her alternate sisters had founded them.

She chuckled slightly at that; Anna 001 still liked to rub that in their faces. No one held it against her though. It was a good idea, and they were more than happy to get in on business. Besides, she was in the unique position of being able to have the insight to make the job anyway. Somehow, she'd managed to get Exalt Lucina to approve it as well.

Lifting her feet off the desk, she allowed the chair to spin for a moment before jumping to her feet, grabbing the folder on Morgan before she left her office. Turning, she headed down the hall to Libra's office, knocking gently before cracking the door. "You here?"

"Anna, how may I help you this morning?" Libra asked with a gentle smile. No matter how many times she saw it, it always amused her how the man had refused to trade his clerical vestments for a doctor's outfit, though she supposed they were similar enough. And with the people they dealt with, a little bit of religion never hurt.

"You see the new patient they sent us?" Anna asked, lifting up the file.

Libra's smile faded slightly. "I heard, but I was not privy to the details. Still, a Future Past Morgan is no small matter."

"You can say that again," Anna sighed, tapping the file with her finger as a question lingered on her tongue. "Is your...wife available today?"

Libra's lips set into a thin line and his eyes narrowed. "Yes...will that be truly necessary?"

"I hope not," Anna assured him hastily, waving her hands. "But if Morgan starts getting aggressive, I think it's going to be the best option to de-escalate the situation without anyone getting harmed."

Libra nodded reluctantly, reaching for a tome. "I'll send her a message, and have her here by lunch break. Someone can cover the orphanage."

Anna bowed deeply. "Thank you Libra! I promise I'll make it up to you. Anything you need, just name it!"

"Should I think of something, I'll pass it on," Libra said with a smile. "I know you'll hold your word. Naga be with you."

"And you too," Anna retorted automatically. She wasn't particularly of a religious bent, but it had become second nature around Libra. Besides, many of her patients found comfort in it, so she was at least passably familiar with the texts. Nah had been a great help in learning some of them.

Closing his office behind her, she took a moment to compose herself. Pulling out a pocket mirror, she took a moment to make sure she looked professional. Doctor's outfit, hair pulled back in a clean bun; the whole nine yards. Smiling confidently at herself, she tucked it back in before heading for the lobby.

Opening the door, she stepped into the warm room as the faint smell of a wood fire. With winter in full swing, they had taken to keeping the fireplace running during office hours, and she spared a quick thought for the services Ylisse offered them.

"Cynthia?" she called, looking for the blue haired girl, quickly spotting her in the fairly empty lobby. She sat by the fire, sitting on a cloak. Upon hearing her name, she looked up with a smile, sincere and bright. "How was the walk over?"

"It was fine," Cynthia assured her. "It was nice to be able to enjoy the snow."

"I'm glad to hear that. You can come in." Anna stepped aside as Cynthia walked through the door. She spared a glance at Raimi, who nodded in acknowledgement. Anna smiled at the serious woman, wondering what had driven her to secretary work.

"I'm sure you know the way by now," Anna joked, stepping ahead of Cynthia, who just giggled. Reaching her office, Anna held the door open for Cynthia before following her in. "Which chair will it be today?"

"Is that even a question?" Cynthia challenged, dropping into a comfy, stuffed chair. Anna just smiled before taking her own seat across from Cynthia. She allowed the girl a moment to get comfy and enjoy.

"So, how have you been since our last meeting?"

"I've been good," Cynthia said brightly, sitting up slightly. "Things have been a lot better lately. Been hanging out with friends. It's...nice."

Anna's smile deepened at the warm feeling in Cynthia's eyes. "What did you do?"

"Severa and I baked a little. Well, she baked and I watched," Cynthia admitted with a laugh. "She's really good at it. But she told me I was getting better."

"What did you bake?"

"Just some bread. Starting simple; a journey of a thousand miles and all that. I uh, actually brought some along." Cynthia reached into the bag on her hip, pulling out a bundle of fabric and offering it to Anna. "Sorry it's not warm."

"That's fine," Anna assured her, taking it gently with both hands. Unwrapping it, she inspected the two slices of bread within, taking a whiff. It smelled quite good, but she was more interested in how it tasted. Biting into one, she couldn't help but smile. "It's good. Maybe a pinch more flour next time, but I'd say you're basically there."

"Boy, that's a relief," Cynthia sighed, falling back in her chair. "I was worried."

"You don't need to worry so much Cynthia," Anna assured her. "Even if it hadn't been perfect, you can always fix it."

"I know," Cynthia said quietly, her gaze lowering to the floor. Anna could instantly tell she was thinking about her home timeline. But she didn't even get a word in edgewise before Cynthia perked back up. "No, I can't let myself dwell on that. I don't want to."

"That's good!" Anna encouraged. "Glad to see you're finally letting up on yourself."

"I still think about it," Cynthia admitted, looking away. "But I think I'm done regretting it."

"It's okay to think about it. I think about it all the time. I think about how the decisions of the past lead to where we are today. But I know that I can't change them."

"You can only choose where to go from here," Cynthia finished with a smile. "I think you've told me that before doc."

"Guess I have a few times, haven't I?" Anna laughed nervously.

"It's good advice doc."

"I should hope so, otherwise why would I be in this job?" Anna joked before straightening up slightly. "So, any other fun news?"

"Well, Severa and I planned to meet with some of the other kids later this week. It'll be nice to see them. I think we're finally at a place where we can move forward."

"Going to see Owain there?" Anna asked with a mischievous glint in her eye. Cynthia turned away, hiding her blush. "Ah, I see. You _are_."

"Y...yeah. It's been a while though, and we're different than who we were as kids."

Anna nodded in agreement, leaning back in her chair. "That may be so, but consider this; he still wants to hang out with you and the others. That at least shows he's interested in renewing those bonds. You've mentioned him before. How do you feel now?"

Cynthia turned again, a distant look in her eyes. "When we were kids, we were close. Dreaming of being like our parents and all that."

A small, dry laugh escaped her. "The Justice Cabal. Great stories of heroism and all that. But then...Lucina passed and I had to protect everyone. At first, it just meant I had to attend a few meetings, but before long I was running the kingdom. He tried to be there for me, but he just...didn't get it. All day I heard reports of how our people were dying, and he wanted to talk about heroism and 'dark avengers' and all that...I yelled at him."

Cynthia's hands gripped her cloak in anger. "I told him he was just a stupid kid playing at being an adult, and that if he wanted to be the 'dark avenger', he could do so once his idiocy got his friends killed. We...didn't speak after that."

Anna could see the tears start to form now, but held her tongue, letting Cynthia get it out. "Then, all the sudden, it was over. The incursion force came in and helped us defeat Grima. Suddenly, there was peace, and I just...didn't know what to do. That's when he showed up. I thought he was going to gloat or something, but he just asked how I was holding up."

"Turns out that between when I yelled at him, and when you guys arrived, he'd joined the army and become an actual hero. Not a fool pretending at it, but actually out there saving people. Always leading the charge, and protecting his friends. He said he owed it all to me. And I just couldn't handle that, seeing as how mean I was to him."

With a sigh, Cynthia tried to collect herself, steadying her breathing. "We've talked a few times since then. I think things are getting better, but it's hard to forget the terrible things I told him. I just hope we can be friends at least."

Anna waited a moment as Cynthia breathed, offering a tissue. Cynthia took it thankfully. Finally, Anna spoke. "It sounds to me like he understood how much pressure you were under. You weren't yourself at the time, and he knows that. No one was at the time. Once he realized that he wasn't helping, he did something that would actually help you. He said as much to you."

"You think?" Cynthia asked, sniffling.

"You can always ask him. If you're still planning on going to the get together that is."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Then you can ask him, and say whatever you need to. You're finally at a place where you can have this kind of talk. Grima didn't just attack your lands; he attacked the bond between you and your friends, as well as you personally. You needed to heal yourself first. Now you can work on building bridges with your friends again."

Cynthia smiled quietly, looking down for a moment. "You know, you're right. Or my name's not Cynthia the Great!"

"Of course I'm right, Cynthia the Great," Anna said with a wink. "Well, it sounds like you've made a lot of progress. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks doc."

"There were a couple of other things I wanted to talk about," Anna continued, opening the file. Pulling out a paper, she inspected it as she talked. "I got a message from Captain Phila that you were considering joining the Pegasus Knights again. I must say, I'm surprised by this, considering everything."

"Yeah well...the way I see it, you guys helped me and my friends. You're like _real_ heroes, and I want to help. I know they probably won't let me in, given my record, but I figured I should try. I don't want people to suffer like I did."

"A noble goal," Anna agreed. "The Pegasus Knights are crucial to the incursion teams. Able to scout the terrain ahead of time and move teams quickly. You'd do well there, especially with your bloodline."

"Yeah, but I doubt they'd take a failed Exalt like me," Cynthia said with a hint of bitterness.

"On the contrary. You've made great progress, and once things settle down, I'd even be willing to write you a letter of recommendation. I want you to have a little bit of a normal life before you decide to throw yourself back into battle."

"You'd do that for me?" Cynthia asked incredulously. "Truly?"

"Yep. Which brings me to the other thing. If you follow me," Anna invited, standing up. Cynthia looked at her in confusion, but followed silently as Anna left her office, turning towards Libra's. Fishing in her pocket, she pulled out her armoury key, and could hear Cynthia breath in surprise as she realized what was happening.

"Watch your step," Anna warned as she stepped in, lighting the wall sconces with an off handed spell. The flames caused the weapons to sparkle with rippling light. Anna trailed her hand over the shelf, moving past silver weapons to the locked cabinet, withdrawing as second key from a pocket sewn into her cloak.

Opening it, she reached inside to grab a Falchion, handling the large weapon gently. With a smile, she turned to Cynthia, offering it. "I believe this is yours."

"Is this...oh my gods…" Cynthia muttered, taking the weapon gently. After a moment, she brought it close, wrapping her arms around it like she was hugging it. "I can't believe…"

"Artifact recovery read my reports on you and decided you were well enough to have this back. It's been taken care of, but unused. It's yours for the taking."

"I thought I'd never see it again."

Anna gave a light laugh. "We're not robbers. We just didn't want you hurting anyone. But now that you're healthy, it's all yours. If you really are going to join the incursion teams, you're going to want that. You're also going to want these."

Stepping aside, Anna gestured for Cynthia to come to the cabinet, where her armour and other personal possessions were. Cynthia just looked at it with wide eyes, not fully processing it. Reaching in, she touched a pegasus feather brooch, emotions moving rapidly over her face.

"We've already got some of the artifact guys ready if you want help moving it back to your place," Anna offered.

"Thanks, that'd be...wonderful."

* * *

"Thanks for stopping by on such short notice," Anna said, offering her hand to Lucina. The short haired woman nodded, her mask obscuring her expression.

"Of course. This particular case is important to us," Lucina said simply.

Anna held back a sardonic smile at that, instead laying the file out in front of her. "I wanted to discuss some of the material in the file. Do we have any idea who his father was?"

"He's not the original FP73 Morgan," Lucina explained, shaking her head. "She hasn't been found yet, but talking with the other children, their Morgan was fathered by a Libra."

Both of them were silent for a moment, glancing in the direction of the aforementioned office. "Hence why you gave the case to me, rather than him."

"Exactly. Between the potential connection, and how familiar people are with you, we thought that having him come to you would make the most sense," Lucina agreed. "You have an admirable record with the second generation Shepards."

"Yeah, but I've never dealt with an FP Morgan personally!" Anna protested. "You've heard the testimony from some of the FP Lucina's! We're talking about someone who served Grima."

"I'm well aware of that," Lucina said, gritting her teeth. "He's been disarmed of any weapons or tomes, and had restraining hexes placed on him, just in case. And if I'm not mistaken, you had your coworker call in Lieutenant Pastor as extra security. A favour that I am allowing without question, might I add."

"Yeah, I called in Tharja. But that should speak to just how much of a risk this is!"

"And yet I'm sure you understand how much of an opportunity this is. If we can understand this Morgan; get some idea of how they think, what they do after they leave, then we can find some of the others. Prevent this from happening again!" Lucina pointed out, her voice rising over time. Anna found herself backing away slightly from the now-standing officer, who seemed to realize how close she'd gotten and took a step back.

"Sorry, that was unprofessional of me," Lucina muttered, adjusting her cloak.

"It's okay," Anna assured her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I know you miss your brother. It's only natural."

"That may be so, but for everyone's sake, I have to be professional."

Anna sighed, shaking her head. "You don't have to be so hard on yourself. What would you say?"

Lucina sighed. "Challenge your fate, or something like that. But you of all people should know that the Exalt and I are quite different people."

"I like you better," Anna joked with a laugh. To her surprise, Lucina laughed as well, a smile finally breaking her facade. "My, a rare laugh from Captain Marth!"

"Please, Anna, with just us, it's Lucina," she insisted. "Marth is only for incursion missions."

"Your severity could put Sully to shame," Anna chastised lightly. With a sigh, both women sat back down, feeling the heavy air return around them. "So...what else should I know about him? Anything not in the file?"

Lucina was quiet for a moment, focusing on the mid-distance. "He's...not like my brother. He's too quiet. He barely said anything to our troops when we found him. And if I'm being honest...I think he wanted to be found. I know my brother. He was the smartest person I knew outside of my mother. If he didn't want to be found, then we wouldn't find him."

Anna nodded, looking at the file. "Only child. No wife that we can tell. No children either. Anything from the other kids?"

"They're still in transition. They went through a lot, and bringing them back now would be too much of a shock. Let alone if we told them the entire truth right now. So only what they've told us in answer to simple questions."

Anna sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Not a lot to go on there, but I'll see what I can do."

Lucina nodded, standing up with a bow. "Thank you. It's very appreciated. I should leave before he arrives. Please forward any information you get to us."

"Of course, Luci," Anna promised, before suddenly remembering something. She offered a slice of bread to Lucina with a smile. "Cynthia made it. She's doing a lot better. Least I could do for interrupting your lunch."

Lucina smiled as she accepted it. "Glad to hear. The kid wasn't doing too well when we found her. I know her weight all too well."

"You're doing a good job now. She's thinking of joining the incursion teams."

"Well, when you clear her, because I know you will, she's welcome to join my team," Lucina promised before raising a hand in a light goodbye. "I'll talk to you later. Good luck."

"Thanks," Anna said, waiting for the door to close. With a sigh, she muttered under her breath. "I'll need it."

* * *

"Thanks for coming," Anna said as she offered a seat to Tharja. The dark woman nodded, adjusting her cuirass as she sat down, her tailcoats pooling down the legs of the chair.

"Of course," she muttered, looking around. "Any excuse to hex someone."

"Hopefully that won't be necessary," Anna added nervously. "But please, try not to hurt him too bad if something does happen. I want to reach through to him. Not push him away."

"Don't worry, I won't turn him into a frog or anything. Just temporarily paralyze him or something." Tharja idly flicked her hand, waving away Anna's concern. "You have my word as an officer."

Anna nodded with a sigh, relieved she wasn't going to have to file any extra paperwork. With a minor incantation, she checked the time. "He should be arriving soon. Mind waiting here a minute?"

Tharja nodded, and Anna bowed in thanks before ducking out of the office. Instead of heading to the lobby, she headed towards the back of the building, where the wagon would be arriving. It was discrete; simultaneously it would avoid the lobby, where too many of the same face might scare Morgan, and the office of Libra. Not to mention built to accept cargo shipments.

Stepping out into the cold air, Anna blinked in surprise as she saw the wagon had already arrived, and they were already in the process of working. While the men working on the cart were armoured, she could recognize their forms and ranks as Kellam and Stahl. She bit her tongue to hold back a greeting, instead opting for a more general "Hello officers."

Both men nodded at her, faces obscured by helmets. Kellam opened the back of the wagon after fidgeting with the lock, while Stahl stood with a lance in hand, ready for trouble.

After a moment, Anna could hear the sound of shuffling inside, and a figure stepped out into the snow, robes only inches from the sheet of white. Compared to the snow, their outfit was dark, and she could see the familiar insignias of Plegian dark magic across the outfit. She'd have to ask Tharja later what they meant.

"You must be Morgan," she greeted with a smile. "Nice to see you!"

Morgan slowly looked her up and down, scanning her familiar green outfit and wild hair. While it wasn't her favourite look, she preferred to try and match their expectations for when they first were introduced back into the world. But if he noticed anything, he didn't comment, simply allowing himself to be moved by the officers, who maneuvered him to the door.

Quietly, they lead him to her office, ushering him in. Anna nodded her thanks to the officers at the door, dismissing them silently. She turned back to Morgan, who was staring at Tharja. The Dark Knight just glared back, undeterred. Anna quickly stepped in, breaking the tension.

"Why don't you have a seat Morgan? Feel free to take any of them," she offered. Anna sat down at her desk, watching Morgan regard the chairs. She wasn't overly surprised when he grabbed the simple wooden one, setting it in front of the desk. Wasn't exactly a conclusive test, but it was what she'd expected. He was denying himself.

"So, Morgan," Anna started, meshing her fingers. "Do you have any questions?"

Morgan raised an eyebrow in surprise, looking a little stumped. "...what?"

"Well, your life has to be awfully complicated right now. I'm here to help with that, and that means answering questions you have."

Morgan glanced at Tharja, who was just silently sitting in the corner. "I won't say anything. Part of the job."

Another moment of silence passed and Morgan turned to look back at her, obviously thinking. "Who are you? I know you're an Anna, but why are you here? This isn't a store."

"You're right about that. I am an Anna though. My job is to help people who have come from other timelines adjust."

Morgan grunted in acknowledgement. "You can't help me."

"What makes you say that?" Anna challenged.

"I've done terrible things. I served Grima."

Anna nodded slowly. "That is certainly true. You _did_. And now you're here."

"I fail to see how that changes what I did."

"It doesn't," Anna corrected, tenting her fingers. "What it means is you're here _now_ and you can make new choices."

Morgan blinked slowly, as if her words were turning over in his brain. "Why would you help me?"

"Because I know you're still a good person, Morgan, whether you believe it or not."

"And how do you know? I've never met you in my life. And no other Morgan betrayed their friends and family."

Anna sighed, weighing her options. She never liked dropping the timeline bomb on people too hard, but sometimes shock was the best way to crack a facade and get a foot in the door. "You're not the only Morgan who has served Grima. You're the only one who came back."

Morgan's face changed to blank shock, and Anna kept speaking while she had power over the conversation. "You're what we refer to as a Future Past Morgan. You're from the seventy third universe of that variety we've discovered, but the first Morgan we've found from that timeline. That means something."

"But you know why I know you're good?" Anna asked intently, leaning forward. "Because in some Future Past universes, you _die_. And once you do, Grima uses your death to taunt the others. Grima modified your memories to be loyal. You were not yourself."

Anna leaned back, allowing the information to sink in. Fighting back the urge to bite her lip, she settled for crossing her fingers under the table, hoping her gamble paid off.

Morgan's expression turned from shock, to anger, to confusion, to sadness, and cycled randomly for a few minutes as he struggled to put a thought or word together. Eventually, she could see the fluctuations slow as his thoughts composed, and he began to speak in a clipped, hesitant fashion. "If...Grima was the one controlling my actions...then his death must be why I came back...which means my mother…"

"Is alive," Anna confirmed. "Lucina performed the Awakening, and sealed him for 1,000 years. Which meant sealing your mother along with it. The only thing that can destroy Grima is himself, and your mother was the only vessel capable of doing so."

"So...he'll wake up again?"

"Yes. And we've prepared for that," Anna assured him. "We have some in the incursion teams who have assisted in the sealing of multiple Grima."

Morgan nodded absently. "So...all the things I did…"

"I'll be honest with you Morgan, since you seem to appreciate it; I don't know how much was Grima, and how much was you. I choose to believe that it was Grima, but I don't know for sure. And neither does anyone. But we can act based on how you choose to act from here on out. As someone I knew once said, "Anything can change"."

"Is there any way you can tell how much of my memory was altered?" Morgan asked.

"There are a few ways," Tharja cut in. "I'm familiar with Grima's magic, as well as memory hexes. With enough time, I could start to sift through them and find out what he changed."

She paused for a moment, glancing at Anna, who simply nodded. "However, memory is a tricky thing. I can get rid of your bad memories, but I'll have to pull out more than just that in order to get rid of it. Memories are almost infectious; anything the bad memory touched will have to be excised in order to get rid of the stain."

"H...how much is that?" Morgan asked, glancing between the two.

"With Grima's power, as well as how long you've been hexed, I'd need to remove most of your memories. Everyone you've known, everything you've done. And that's assuming that Grima only altered a few things," Tharja warned, unusually grave.

Morgan had paled now, sitting weakly in his chair. "I...I don't know…"

"You can still rebuild a life after that. Just be one of the many amnesiac Morgans in our worlds. No one would know, including you," Anna promised, restraining the pounding in her chest.

"I...I don't think I should," Morgan said slowly, looking away in thought. "I'm ashamed of what I did...but I can still remember some good, if I think really hard. I don't want to let go of those."

"Then don't. You don't have to let your past define you. Starting right now, we can work to make you who _you_ want to be, not who Grima wanted you to be." Anna leaned forward, feeling the tension dissipate. It seemed like her gamble was paying off. "But it only works if you want to. If you don't work with us, then we can't help you. I'm not asking you to forgive yourself just yet; you're not ready for that. But I am asking you to be open to it. There will be hard days, but it'll get easier. I swear."

"And what happens if it gets worse?" Morgan asked with a bitter tone; a last ditched attempt to push her away that came off sounding more afraid than angry.

"Then we work to help you through. We don't back down from a challenge, and I know you don't either, Morgan. A great tactician will admit weakness, and work to improve themselves. And they are willing to trust and rely on their allies to do their job." Anna felt like it was a little bit of a cheat to twist his mother's words against him, but it was an effective trump card. She offered her hand. "So, do we have a deal?"

Slowly, and hesitantly, Morgan raised his hand, creeping towards hers. She waited patiently as he looked between her hand and face, as if trying to detect deception. Finally, he accepted it, and they shook once. "I'm willing to try."

Anna grinned, relief flooding through her. "Pleasure doing business with you. Now, we can either start now, or if this has tired you out-"

"If it's alright by you, I'd like to start now. I want to get better," Morgan insisted with a tentative smile. Anna returned it in kind, glancing at Tharja with a nod. The mage nodded back, standing up with a small bow.

"Thank you. Say thanks to your husband for me," Anna called to her as she left before leaning back, regarding Morgan with a kind smile. "Now, let's begin."

* * *

Anna leaned against the railing, watching her cold breath fly off into the sky. Despite the cold, she couldn't help but feel warm inside. And a quick glance to the side reassured her that Lucina was feeling more relaxed than she had been in a while.

"I think he's going to be okay," Anna said quietly. "It's going to be a road to recovery for him, but he'll get there. He's already getting back some of his old inquisitiveness. He was asking all sorts of questions."

"I wonder how many rules you broke to achieve that," Lucina wondered with a teasing tone. "Not that I disapprove. After all, one can hardly argue with the results."

"Dare I say dear sweet Luci is encouraging me to break the rules? What would your superiors think?" Anna fauxed gasped, earning herself a light punch to the shoulder. "Police brutality!"

"Quiet you," Lucina snapped good naturedly, laughing lightly. Anna smiled at the sound, looking back over the river they were standing over. The winter had frozen it, but it still looked beautiful. "The rules are there to help people. But if following them would hurt a person more, then they should be broken."

"Says the girl who travelled through time," Anna noted. "I'm pretty sure our whole system is predicated on breaking rules."

"That is true," Lucina admitted, distant thoughts flitting behind her eyes.

"Everything alright on your end?"

"Yes…" Lucina said at length. "I just worry."

"You always worry."

Lucina gave a sideways glare at Anna, but gave up after a moment. "In the past, Naga would only let us go one way, or keep us in the timeline for a short time. And she admitted she broke the rules by doing so. What Lady Tiki is doing is more than that. Many hundreds of thousands owe their lives to her, but I cannot help but wonder if those rules are like ours; meant to protect in some fashion. From what, I cannot imagine, but if it is worse than Grima…"

"Need I remind you Grima broke them too?" Anna asked. "Besides, didn't you just say that if the rules hurt more than they help, they should be broken? The rules may have been there to help people before, but I think we've done a lot of good. I don't know everything you guys see out there, but I know what I see here. I see kids who would have had terrible futures, and scars for life. I see families that have been torn apart, and lost. Parents who lost kids, spouses who have to live without their other."

Anna's voice trembled slightly as she continued. "It's hard to be an Anna in this world. We're already so used to having multiples of us that when one dies, it feels like losing a sister. I've lost a lot of sisters to Grima, but I'm sure each one of them didn't regret helping whatever way they could."

"I'm sorry, Anna. I didn't mean to dig up bad memories."

"It's okay," Anna assured her, standing up straight. "We all have bad days. It's what I tell my patients after all. Besides, they didn't regret their choices, and neither do I."

Lucina smiled slightly and nodded. "You always were a wise bunch. I can respect that philosophy."

"Of course you can, Luci. It's right!" Anna said with a laugh. After a moment, she sighed, meeting Lucina's gaze. "Any news on my daughter's mission?"

"Reports from her team sound good. They've managed to recover a lot of material wealth from the timeline, as well as several artifacts. Captain "Roy" has your eye for details." Lucina paused, glancing around. She leaned in closer, her voice low. "Their mission should be done in a few weeks. Then she'll be back."

"Thanks Luci. That means a lot," Anna whispered back with a smile. "Now I'll just pretend I never heard that."

"Heard what?" Lucina asked with a straight face. For a moment, neither said anything, before they both burst into laughter. Eventually, it faded into a comfortable silence, and the two regarded each other with warm smiles. "I should let you get home. You've had a long day."

"Thanks. I could use a bit of a break. You take it easy, okay? You're more than welcome to swing by whenever you want."

"Of course," Lucina acknowledged with a bow. "I will have to visit some time soon. Take care."

Anna smiled as she waved to Lucina, watching her go. Part of her was sad to see her part, but another part was just happy to see her so happy. Putting her hands in her pockets, Anna watched her for a moment, sighing contentedly.

Even with the walk home, the warmth in her chest was more than enough to keep the chill away. Stepping into her humble home, she withdrew a match from her pocket, lighting the old lantern by the door. The thin smell of pine accompanied the equally thin trail of smoke as she took the lantern from its holster, going through the motions of lighting up the house.

Setting the lantern on a sturdy, handmade side table, she knelt down in front of the fireplace, poking at the logs within. Still enough for a good fire. It only took her a few minutes to get it started, and she smiled in satisfaction as the small fire crackled. Backing up, she allowed herself to collapse onto the couch with a sigh, spreading her arms over the back. She'd have to make dinner soon, but right now, she just wanted to relax and enjoy.

Turning her head, she reached to the side table, grabbing a picture frame before laying down where she could use the lantern light to inspect it. She smiled at herself, and the familiar picture. A blue haired man with a brilliant smile stood beside her, a protective arm wrapped around her, while his other arm, partially obscured by his white cape, was placed delicately on their daughter's head, fingers half-woven into her red hair.

Their little Luci.

Gently, she traced the image, a slight pain blossoming in her chest at the nostalgia, but she pushed it aside as she looked at their smiles. Gods, she was so proud of her little daughter. Captain "Roy." One of the best in the recovery business, and a strong leader, like her father.

"Hey there handsome," she said, touching the cheek of her husband's smiling face. "You'd be proud of her too. She takes after you that way; always wanting to help others. You stubborn, wonderful man."

With a sigh, she returned the photo to its place on the table, taking a moment to line it up with the crack in the surface. Giving it a nostalgic look, she looked around her home with a smile. It was so full of good memories that she couldn't find it in herself to be sad, just content.

Besides, her Luci would be coming home in a few weeks, and she looked forward to what stories she'd bring back this time. Invariably, there'd be some people brought back too, and she hoped that she could help them. But for a day or two, it would be just them, and she cherished those moments all the more.

Lucina was right when she said that some rules were meant to be broken. Breaking rules had gotten her this life, and she wouldn't trade it for anything. It was a little selfish, but just this once, she allowed it. Her husband would forgive her.


End file.
